A Knight to Remember...

I have to admit that I thought this would be a really cheesy theme park-type place...something that kids love and parents tolerate...but I am happy to say I was wrong! ...so wrong, in fact, that I'm encouraging you to take your family as soon as you can...

You'll want to get there early...we showed up an hour early to take in all of the sights. Once inside the ornately-decorated castle, we were able to visit the costume area, gift shop, and -the boys' favorite- the armor store. There are lots of costumed maidens, squires, and minstrels walking around in character, so plenty of great photo opportunities, and some lucky folks even get knighted! (Though we never could figure out how they were selected.) You'll get your crown and seating assignment, as well as find out which knight you'll be rooting for that evening, and can pick up a glass of wine. There is also a seating area, if you don't want to walk around.

Castle Economics (AKA How to Stretch Your Dragon)

The servants and serving wenches are super efficient...how they manage to serve such a large crowd all at the same time, in such a tight window, is pretty amazing! They work hard (so tip well, please) and are a lot of fun to banter with. There are also bar wenches, for the adult who wants something stronger to drink than coke or water.

The menu includes : dragon pee, dragon blood, dragon toenail, dragon tooth, dragon scales, dragon heart, and baby dragon. They surely stretch that dragon and use every bit, and it was delicious!! While one of our children was disturbed by the menu description, he quickly dug in once we told him what the food was. (To be fair, he also struggled with the lights and noises...if you have a special needs child, you may want to prepare them ahead of time on what to expect.)

Watching the Knights....um, I mean, The Show

The jousting, horse tricks, sword fighting, falconry, and the drama...it all adds up to a fantastic show! Every little boy will want to be a knight (even the big boys!) and every little girl will want to be a princess. I can only imagine how hard these guys train to be able to put on such a great show! And the eye candy is a nice extra for the moms... 😉 If you're a lucky lady, you might even get a flower from one of the knights!

The animals are so well-trained. Those Spanish horses...I'm not even a horse person and was floored at how incredible the pageantry was! It was intricate and well-woven into the story as a whole. There was also a lady who did falconry. The boys love raptors (remember our trip to the Raptor Center?) and were wholly impressed at getting to see the falcon up close.

After the Show

Once the show ends, you get a chance to meet the cast and take pictures. Since we were in the black & white knight's section, we lined up to get our picture taken with him. By the time we did that, the castle had really cleared out and there were very few folks left.

My son went over to the Norseman (the show's villain) and asked him a few questions. The guy was nice enough to spend some time talking with our art & costume-loving son about how he got involved with the show. After that conversation, our son now his his five-year plan in place!

Overall

It is a bit pricey, but when you consider that you get dinner and a show, the interactive component, and how many people and animals go into creating this show, it doesn't seem that expensive anymore. And, if you can get a coupon code, all the better! Our recommendation is that you get a family pack of tickets and go as soon as possible!

And speaking of coupons, we have a special offer for any of y’all who want to visit yourselves: Adults $36.95 and children (12 and under) $29.95 with the code MT3629 through 2/28/17. Click on this special offer link.

My family and I were invited to visit and were provided admission. I was not financially compensated for this post. All opinions of Medieval Times are strictly my own based on my experience.